From The Mayor’s Desk...

A Time to

From The Mayor’s Desk...

A Time to

Remember and Reflect

Next month, New York City will observe the one-year anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center. Thousands of people from around the world, including relatives of those lost on September 11, have made suggestions about this commemoration. The observance we’ve planned seeks to capture the remarkable thoughtfulness and sensitivity of their proposals.

Early on the morning of September 11, five processions will begin to march toward the World Trade Center site from points in each of the five boroughs. They will be led by pipe and drum corps from five governmental agencies that performed heroically on 9/11 and in its aftermath: the Fire Department, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the NYPD and the City Correction and Sanitation Departments. The processions will converge at the site just after 8:00 a.m., where a memorial service will be held.

At 8:46 a.m., the moment when the first of the twin towers was struck by the first hijacked airliner, I will invite all New Yorkers to take part in a moment of silence. Governor George Pataki will read the Gettysburg Address. Then a cross-section of New Yorkers and people from around the world, led by former Mayor Rudy Giuliani and including family members and colleagues of those lost on 9/11, will read the names of the more than 2,800 men and women who perished at the World Trade Center that day.

After the reading of the names is completed, "Taps" will be played. New Jersey Governor James McGreevey will read an excerpt from the Declaration of Independence. The memorial will conclude at 10:29 a.m., the moment when the second of the Twin Towers collapsed. Houses of worship throughout the city are invited to toll their bells at that time. Then, and for the rest of the day, families of those lost on 9/11 will descend into the World Trade Center site, where they will have opportunities to remember their loved ones.

Later that afternoon, President Bush will visit the World Trade Center site. At sunset, there will be an observance at "The Sphere," the sculpture that once stood in the World Trade Center plaza that is now part of the temporary memorial to the victims of 9/11 in Battery Park. Heads of state from around the world will be invited to join that ceremony. An eternal flame will be lit, and I will read from President Franklin Roosevelt’s "Four Freedoms" speech. At that time, we ask that everyone light a candle in the memory of those we lost.

That evening there also will be musical gatherings in each of the five boroughs – in Central, Van Cortlandt, Prospect and Flushing Meadows Parks and at Snug Harbor – where music that reflects the spirit of the day will be performed.

Our intent is to have a day of observances that are simple and powerful, and allow New Yorkers to participate and come together as they choose. The day will honor the courage and sacrifice of those we lost last September 11 and give New Yorkers, Americans and people around the world the opportunity to remember and reflect.